Twitter allows Cannabis Related Ads – New Announcement

Twitter has announced that it will now allow “approved” and state-legal cannabis companies, in addition to other advertisers, to post advertisements in the United States for regulated THC and CBD products, accessories, and services. This is a significant adjustment to Twitter’s policy, and it was done in response to user feedback. The social media platform has made this information available to the general public.

On its website, Twitter states, under the heading “Drugs and drug paraphernalia,” “We permit approved Cannabis (including CBD– cannabinoids) advertisers to target the United States,” provided that a number of requirements are met.

AdCann, a cannabis marketing and advertising website with headquarters in Toronto, was the one to first share the news about the new development on social media. The post was made on one of the platform’s official pages.

According to AdCann, “effective immediately,” Twitter will now allow “advertisers to promote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content” for specific products and services, including the following items and services:

Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, along with other products derived from cannabinoids.
THC and other products with effects that are comparable to it.
products and services connected to cannabis, including delivery services, labs, events, and a variety of other possibilities.
“American cannabis companies, brands, and purveyors will be required to pass through a Twitter advertiser approval process,” the reporting from AdCann states. This will ensure that the entities in question are legitimate and have an appropriate level of knowledge regarding the platform.

“Once the application has been evaluated and given the green light, industry marketers will have access to Twitter’s complete catalog of advertising products, including promoted tweets, promoted product opportunities, location-specific takeovers, in-stream video sponsorships, and partner publication features,”

The news was received enthusiastically by executives working in the cannabis industry.

In a tweet sent out on Tuesday night, the managing director of a venture capital firm based in San Francisco called Poseidon Garden Ventures said that “this has been in the works behind the scenes for a while.”

According to the company, “Cannabis is a leading topic on @Twitter and should be a big channel for #cannabis advertising,” although this assessment is contingent on the specifics of the program. “Cannabis is a leading topic on @Twitter. #progress,” tweeted the social media platform.

“Kudos to Twitter for being the first major social network to welcome Cannabis advertisements,” Rosie Mattio, CEO of Mattio Communications, a cannabis-focused marketing and communications firm based in New York City, tweeted. “Thank you, Twitter, for being the first major social network to do so.” The cannabis industry is Mattio Communications’ primary focus, and the company specializes in marketing and communications for the sector.

Twitter has announced, in accordance with its new policies, that advertisers in the cannabis industry, presumably companies, will be subject to a variety of restrictions and conditions. These restrictions and conditions include the following:

According to Twitter’s terms of service, advertisers are required to hold licenses issued by the relevant authorities and receive prior authorization from Twitter.

When marketing their goods or services online, advertisers are only permitted to target jurisdictions in which they are in possession of a valid license to do so.

It is a violation of the law for advertisers to promote or offer products or services related to the sale of cannabis (including CBD– cannabinoids). Ads for topical (non-ingestible) hemp-derived CBD topical products containing equal to or less than the government-set threshold of 0.3% THC are exempt from this rule. This rule only applies to ads for products that contain more than 0.3% THC. The advertiser is the one who is responsible for ensuring that they are in accordance with any and all laws, rules, regulations, and advertising guidelines that may be relevant to their particular campaign.
It is against the rules for advertisers to specifically target customers who are younger than 21 years old.
Twitter’s policy underwent a sudden and unexpected shift after the completion of billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase of the company in October of the previous year. The social media platform was purchased by Musk for a whopping $44 billion.

It is common knowledge that Elon Musk smoked marijuana while appearing on a podcast hosted by Joe Rogan in the year 2018.

According to a subsequent report published by Insider, the United States government subsequently issued an order mandating that Elon Musk, the Chief Executive Officer of the space transportation company SpaceX, submit to random drug testing for a period of twelve months.

The federal government and SpaceX collaborate on a substantial amount of projects together and do a significant amount of business together.

As soon as Musk finished his purchase of Twitter, rumors began to spread suggesting that the billionaire would ease Twitter’s stringent advertising policy regarding marijuana. These rumors have persisted ever since Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.

AdCann made the observation in a post that it shared on social media that “up until now, only CBD topical brands were permitted to advertise on Twitter’s platform.” This was stated in reference to a change that just took place.

In the future, the social network will make it possible to advertise regulated cannabis products, accessories, services, and other offerings that contain THC or CBD. This includes a wide variety of offerings.

Twitter made it abundantly clear in its new guidelines that it would not permit advertising that was aimed at children and teenagers. This prohibition applies to both online and offline advertisements.

Furthermore, the company detailed a number of additional regulations, stating that advertisements for cannabis must comply with the following requirements:

“Do not appeal to minors in the creative; in addition, landing pages need to have an age gate; and sales need to have age verification.” [Translation:] “Do not appeal to minors in the creative.”

Do not use any images or icons that could possibly appeal to children and teenagers, such as sportspeople, celebrities, or other famous people.

Do not use children or women who are pregnant as models in any form of advertising.

“Not make false or misleading claims.” “Not show depictions of cannabis product use.” “Not make claims of efficacy or health benefits.” “Not make false or misleading claims.”

People who are using drugs or who are under the influence should not be portrayed in any way.

Not encourage transport across state lines.”
This decision comes on the heels of an announcement made in January by Google Ads that it will no longer prohibit any advertising relating to hemp or CBD in the states of California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico.

However, according to an addition made by Google in its blog post, there will still be restrictions placed on marketers.